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Elemental Plane
The Elemental Plan, otherwise known as the Primordial Realms, is one of the four layers of reality, splitted into four equally important dimensions. Unlike the void and the Flux, the Primordial Realms are considered material dimensions since they can be geographically located on Zael, though inaccessible to mere mortals. Originally, the Elemental Plan was forged by the Architects in order to conceal the fury of the four elements, and bind it to the very essence of the planet. Over time, it became home to the Primordial Gods, physical manifestation of the original elements, and their legions of elementals, such as the Inciferas, the Saaris, etc... Since the dawn of Zael, the Elemental Plan has symbolized the roaring heart of the planet, and stands as an effigy to untamed wilderness. Alike their infamous residents, the Primordial Realms are regarded as highly destructive and chaotic, but are the necessary evil that keeps the world together. It is there, in these forsaken lands, that elemental magic - the energy that was used to forged the very world - was locked away by the architects. Elementalists usually drain powers from the Elemental Plan either by worship (divine magic) or force (profane magic). It is believed that the Elemental Plan remains fundamentally unreachable for mortals, since it is subject to a different conception of reality than is the Concrete. kingdom-beyond-the-bridge-26739-400x250.jpg|The Cloud Kingdom alpha-coders-abyss-fantasy-city_1913694.jpg|Realm of the Abyss 1344129-bigthumbnail.jpg|Pitt of Naz'Ragg History Genesis The Architects knew that the core energy of Zael could be used in order to shape the fallen star into a living planet, and that it could be able to maintain its balance, if only it was wired correctly. The split of reality enabled Zael's potential as a self-sufficient planetary body. By twisting the core stellar energy through the spirit link and each layers of reality, it became instrumental in the moulding of Zael. The Elemental Plan was originally built in order to alter the nature of pure energy, and give it the essence of one of four fundamental elements to all creation : Fire, Earth, Air and Water. Elemental energy - and later, magic - would then take a part in the shaping of the world, creating an atmosphere suitable for life, birthing the continents out of the oceans, etc... The Primordial Realms are therefore considered the "oldest of all lands, from which all sprang..." The shaping of the world was a million years long process, and it wasn't until the Architects left the planet to rest, that the Elemental Plan acquired some sort of autonomy. The Elements had been passively engaging in the moulding of the world, through simple cohabitation, and at this point in time, it is believed something was missing to Zael in order to make it a living planetary body. It is possible that, at the impulse of an inner willpower, greater, fiercer manifestations of the elements birthed in the Elemental Plans. They were the four Primordial Gods - living embodiements of their respective element, symbolizing the awakening of Nature itself. Oghuron was the first, the living flame, to emerge from the great Fire. Then came Rogosh, out of the cracks of the world, a God birthed from stone and Earth. Syleh came down from the skies, made of the very fabric of clouds and Air. Finally, Hayadrass rose from the oceans, the living avatar of Water. Primordial Wars As soon as they were born, the Primordial Gods clashed in furious war, each more craving for land than the other. Limitless in their greed and violence, they tore the world apart, and furthered its shaping in their conflicts. At some point, they gave birth to the elementals, fanatical minions carved out of their composing element they used to wage limitless wars. It was in this destructive process that Zael became a functionnal planet : for there can be no life without movement and change, and no change without clash. Divine War Over time, the Primordial Realms became vessels of unimaginable powers, as the Primordial Gods built demential empires with their legions. Their supremacy was however quickly toppled by the quick rise of the Second Gods, entities created by the subconscience of Zael, and the first mortal race : the Svart. The Primordial Wars came to an end, and were replaced by the Divine War which opposed the Second Gods and their earthly champions, to the now unified Elementals. Despite their inherent fragility, the Svart were formidable foes : their strong connection to the spirit-link made them greatly skilled magic-wielders, all the while toughening them up. The great power of the Second Gods - which they drained directly from the Void - made them incredibly might enemies, even for the Primordial Gods themselves. Moreover, they appeared to be dozens, while the Prime were only four. Although immortals, the latter were doomed to fall before their younger siblings, thus greatly disrupting the natural balance that had settle over the milleniums of Primordial Wars. The conscience of Zael couldn't let that happen, and, in order to maintain balance and harmony, it had to greatly weaken the spirit-link by locking up the Void behind a virtual barrier, called the Nexus. It also managed to emprison - at least partially - the Second Gods in the Void, thus ending their rule over the planet. The Svart were eradicated : the majority, who had splitted their beings across the layers of reality, were for the most part destroyed in the process; few others were snatched into the void itself, torned apart by the twisting powers of the dormant star. Reluctantly, the conscience of Zael also had to emprison the Primordial Gods and their minions in the Elemental Plan, which was sealed shut along with the most part of the constitutive layers of reality. This ended - temporarily - the rule of the many Gods, and put an end to the flow of energy downstreaming from the star to whole planet. At this point, the world was on its own to evolve. Only the Guardians prevailed. Mortal Era Following the weakening of the spirit-link, the elemental plane was completely closed from the rest of the world, and the elementals went dormant for centuries, unable to surface on the concrete. The Prime took this as an opportunity to gather their forces and prepare for the nexr war, which was seen as inevitable. Seeing how the nexus was being eaten away by the relentless efforts of the seconds Gods, it seemed that someday, all that which had been locked up in the spirit-link, was to break free. Eventually insignificant amounts of the tremendous elemental energy was able to leak from the elemental plane, and to flow in the concrete, spawning the first elementals on Zael since forgotten times. With time, these breaches in the nexus became more persistent, resulting in small yet enduring portals between realities, which allowed minor elementals to travel from one layer to the other. These portals or "flaws", became a gateway for the Prime to reassert their influence on the concrete. It is believed that elementals came back to the concrete as soon as - 4000, hauting the terrestrial landscape in their everlasting quest to please their godly masters. Eversince, mortals have come to clash with elementals many times - the tales of Al-Zir and the desert conquest show strong evidences that the desert empire did have a struggle with air elementals - believed to be Sirroco and Aiùr - at some point in it's history. The episode of Kemsyt's Crusade seems to have been linked to the return of fire elementals in the desert of Lao-Sha, although how it happenned remains a mystery.